Republican Religious Fanatics Pose A Much Bigger Threat To Our Country Than ISIS

Let me preface this by saying I’m in no way trying to downplay ISIS as a threat, nor am I attempting to say the behavior by Republicans is as barbaric and monstrous as the group wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq.

If it were up to many Republicans, this country wouldn’t be governed by our Constitution, but by the Bible. Hell, not too long ago potential GOP presidential candidate and Fox News host Mike Huckabee literally said that Americans shouldn’t have to follow laws they felt were “ungodly.” In other words, if our Supreme Court rules that bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, it’s okay for Americans to ignore that ruling – because the Bible says so.

Their whole premise on same-sex marriage is based off the belief that the Bible dictates what is or isn’t a marriage. These are people who are literally trying to pass laws that makes discrimination against homosexuals legal.

Then there’s always the issue of abortion and the control they want over what women do with their own bodies. As if pregnant women suddenly relinquishes her rights the moment she’s impregnated. Not only that, our Supreme Court has said that a woman has the right to have an abortion. This is yet another area of the private lives of Americans where these religious radicals feel they can force their religious views on those who do not share them.

Even when you look at climate change, a good portion of those who deny it’s being caused by humans do so because they don’t believe we have the ability to cause such changes to our climate. To many of these people, any change in our climate is controlled by God, therefore it’s pointless for us to do anything to try to prevent the catastrophic disasters that will occur if we don’t start taking much better care of our planet.

But the truth is, this is just the beginning. I don’t doubt for a moment that if our Supreme Court was comprised of conservatives, with Republicans controlling both Congress and the White House, that these conservatives would be taking even bigger steps to interject more and more of their religious dogma onto the rest of us.

That’s how all of this works; it starts with gay marriage and abortion, then it grows into other areas of the Bible. They’re already trying to interject religion into education, and Fox News is basically just the talking arm of the religious right, so it wouldn’t take much before they slithered their way into other areas of our lives, adding more and more theocratic rule, backed by an ultra-religious Republican party and a highly conservative Supreme Court.

Looking at that list, aren’t we already seeing this “plan” starting to evolve? I’ve never been one to push conspiracy theories, and I don’t think I’m pushing one now. It’s my opinion that we’re already seeing this plan take shape every single day in this country.

It’s like peeling an onion. If they go slowly, one layer at a time, they’re hoping most people won’t notice. But over time, as they continue to peel back layer after layer, eventually more and more of that onion begins to vanish until there’s basically nothing left.

Well, that’s what these right-wing religious radicals are trying to do with our freedom of religion. They’re slowly trying to peel back each thin layer at a time hoping we won’t notice, with their ultimate goal being to place the Bible atop the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.

Allen Clifton is a native Texan who now lives in the Austin area. He has a degree in Political Science from Sam Houston State University. Allen is a co-founder of Forward Progressives and creator of the popular Right Off A Cliff column and Facebook page. Be sure to follow Allen on both Twitter and Facebook. Have feedback, inquiries, criticism or compliments? You can email him as well.

These guys are so full of shit. They cry about how Liberal permissiveness is “control” and an “afront to Gawd” but are really all about “control” themselves. They just want to stick a Bible up everyone’s ass and force everyone to live under a fascist theocracy. They’re no different than the Muslim countries that do the same thing. “The American Taliban” is the most perfect name ever assigned to them. The idea that Gawd gives two shits about American Politics is ludicrous, especially considering he isn’t real.

Lydia/one2the92the82the5

But they aren’t throwing people off buildings and beheading people so it makes it ok.. //sarcasm

Ron Hustleman Harris

Not yet….but if one of them somehow gets elected….we are going to war…BOOK IT!

way to cherry pick an isolated incident by a lawless individual. Do any GOP’ers violently subjgate women who get raped like the fundamentalist muslims do routinely?

HoosierGramps

Yes. Routinely. For example, and mind you this is only one small example, the GOP’er may be the rapist to begin with. They probably don’t believe it’s a “legitimate rape” anyway. Then due to GOP legislation and regulation, the victim cannot obtain an abortion. Then due to more GOP legislation, the rapist is granted parental rights forcing the victim to face her rapist over and over throughout the rest of her life. To her it’s like being raped again and again. As I said, this is but one small example and it happens routinely.

Require any more examples of how GOP’ers violently subjugate rape survivors or will this suffice?

wheezer

There are 12 states that allow rapists to sue for custody and visitation. 4 of them are blue (WA, OR, VT,MA) 2 more are purple (IA, FL) so if you call that a GOP problem you’re just playing typical liberal stereotypes. I agree with you far right social conservatives here go overboard, but comparing them to the brutality of sharia law is silly.

Yep..pretty much. Carry that baby to term. Care for that baby because there will be no help or consideration from the government..not even paid time off work. Really screwed up a woman’s life because she got raped.. you old wheezer.

wheezer

abortion in the case of rape incest or health risks to the mother, and those under 20 weeks s/b legal across the board. Agree. We domnt beat rape victims and behad people on the streets though do we? Didint think so. Sharia Law has no place in the western hemisphere.

Eddie Fulcher

Cherry picking is what you folks do the best. What a hypocrite to say I cannot do so. And I was just lending counter-point to the perception of Christian innocence. All humans are monsters. All.

Lydia/one2the92the82the5

Thanks for the links. 🙂

mrtapeguy

Yeah, that’s really commonplace. You’re good at googling.

wheezer

you’re cherry picking a lone nutcase. Big difference between that and an organized govt or religious sect doing it routinely.

Vinny Verducci

Don’t forget the right wing christians in this country that were behind Uganda’s kill they gays law.

karensc

If some of the extreme fundamentalist Christians thought they could get away with it, they would be beheading people, too, getting rid of the people whose beliefs, lifestyle and sexual orientation they don’t like.

Isis cannot subvert the US constitution or pass unconstitutional laws in America. Republicans can and do. End of discussion.

JamieHaman

lol, That’s not the end of the discussion, that’s the beginning of the discussion. How do we really stop these Republicans from destroying our Constitution, and get their religious conscious laws off our books? This is a a trip down a short road to theo-crazy for a government, and who wants to live with a the equivalent of a Christian Taliban?
It was done in Europe, and it’s called the Dark Ages.

Albert8184

The USA wasn’t a theocracy in the 19th century, and it’s certainly not closer to being one now. You’re delusional if you think otherwise. 100 years ago, there were states where no one could run for office if they didn’t believe in Jesus. There were Sunday laws and all sorts of religious based laws on the books. There certainly isn’t more of that now.

JamieHaman

Right now in Texas you can’t run for any public office if you are an atheist.

When a person, such as a pharmacist is allowed to deny you medication for your miscarriage, because of her “conscience” I have a real problem with that.

How different is this law from the Taliban, who refuse all women the right to safe, legal medical treatment? Only in who takes advantage of it.
Have you read some of the insanity of Mike Huckabee? His idea that no religion other than Christianity is protected under the first amendment? Or that people should refuse to obey laws differing from the Bible? The Bible is not more important that the Constitution,

Albert8184

Your problem stems from the fact that you have adopted a culturally Marxist attitude, just as your intellectual handlers have hoped you would… you and millions of other dense sheep like you. When you advocate that buyers and sellers be FORCED to sell and provide products, you are no longer to be considered an American of Constitutional sensibilities.

YOU are the taliban.

JamieHaman

Ummmkay. I get it now… you are ok with people paying the price of other people’s conscience.
Joe Blow’s conscience, and Jack dies, because Joe refuses to do HIS job.
You think I’m a sheep? I think you clearly fail to comprehend.

Albert8184

There’s nothing about you that’s difficult to comprehend. You wanna’ change the subject now, just like I figured you would.

JamieHaman

Dude, that’s not changing the subject, just applying it to something besides cake and flowers. My link showed where a pharmacist REFUSED to fill a LEGALLY PRESCRIBED medication, BECAUSE it “Offended” her religious sensibilites. The drug given, is to help a woman finish a naturally occurring miscarriage, so she doesn’t become infected and DIE.
Good thing it wasn’t your wife eh?

Albert8184

Let me know when you want to get back to the subject. Right now, I have no interest in being the defendant in your ideological show trial on the merits of your specious indictment of “Joe Blow” for not “doing his job” as you see fit to define it. As if he were the last pharmacist on Earth – denying medicines that probably shouldn’t even be regulated anyway in a free market.

1739camilli

Time for you to go genuflect…..

Albert8184

Time for me to let you talk to yourself for awhile.

karensc

You don’t even understand what Marxism is. Read the Constitution. You right-wing sheep think you know what the Constitution says, but you don’t have a single clue.
The First Amendment says no state-sponsored religion. The Founding Fathers had a bellyful of that with the British government taxing the Colonies and giving the money to the Church of England. If you are not happy living in a secular country, which this country is and always has been, then go live in a theocracy.

Karen, nobody understands Marxism. It’s incomprehensible. How do you understand the ridiculous? Either shut up or just address what I said, instead of going on some abstract rant that applies not to me, but to some bogeyman in your imagination.

Nicko Thime

There are still states where an atheist can’t run for office.
When that idiot Russert was alive he asked the entire Republican group of candidates, at a national debate, what their favorite bible verse was.

Albert8184

That’s right. But there aren’t more than there were in 1850.

Nicko Thime

“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but NO RELIGIOUS TEST SHALL EVER BE REQUIRED AS A QUALIFICATION TO ANY OFFICE OR PUBLIC TRUST UNDER THE UNITED STATES.”

There are currently 7 states who do so. 8, if you include some restrictions. I have no idea how many actually had such laws to that effect in 1850, but I’m betting you might be right.

Do you know?

Albert8184

I am not certain of the number, but I do know that an atheist running for office in ANY state as an open atheist touting the sorts of philosophies touted by the Dawkins/Hitchens apostles today… wouldn’t be elected dog catcher. Not a snowball’s chance in purgatory. That was the culture at that time. The USA was miles closer to being a theocracy at that time, up until about 1960, then it is now or ever will be again, most likely.

But the interesting thing is that the government apparently saw no problem with these laws, and must have defined the “qualifications” very differently. OR, they were too afraid of public backlash to enforce otherwise.

Nicko Thime

Culture?

Gary Menten

The Dark Ages are generally regarded today as the 5th through 10th Centuries, and while the process of establishing the power of the church was under way during that time it wasn’t really consolidated until a bit later. The worst part, the Inquisition, which continues into the early 19th C in some places doesn’t start until the 12th C. Otherwise, I agree with your statement.

People who want to be deceived are easily deceived. How hard is it to fool people who honestly believe that the bible is inerrant and the absolute word of a God whose existence cannot be proven by any scientific means? My answer is, that it isn’t very hard at all. Republicans have figured this out. Here’s another thing they know; in the US, 82% of people polled claim that prayer is an important part of their daily lives. In short, 82% of people are delusional.

Gary Menten

That’s a very tough question. Republicans have figured one thing out; that the United States is a nation of suckers where fully 82% of the population say that prayer forms an important part of their daily lives. They’ve pretty much figured out that anyone who actually believes that the Bible is the living word of an all powerful being who is never seen and whose very existence cannot be proven by any scientifically valid means, will pretty much believe anything and will blindly follow whatever political party can portray itself as having the same batshit crazy delusions.

I believe educating the young in science the best way to defeat this, but Republicans have figured this out too and have waged a decades long war to cut educational funding and promote a religious curriculum in the public schools.

One cannot create dogma from one verse of the Bible, It must be in context with the whole and not contradict other parts of the Bible, Otherwise it is false doctrine.
Romans 13:1-7states, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

karlotious

The moment someone quotes a book as if it somehow answers anything has always amazed me. I can quote spiderman if you wish?

gdod25

Only a nut would quote Spider-Man when he could quote Batman!

karlotious

haha “Im not wearing hockey pads” proves a god exists cause it’s written in a book!

gdod25

And a further study would shed light on what it is the authorities where given their power for. To punish evil doers. That’s it. Not to make war continually. Not to tax to infinity, etc.

Recoloniser

Actually the number of Americans identifying with any religious denomination is declining and has been for some time. Possibly that explains the vehemence with which these zealots pursue their goals. They’re afraid this is their last chance.

Karen

hmmm – these Christians who are complaining about the way this country is going sound like spoiled children who are no longer being spoiled

Steve Seven

sounds like the liberal left are becomiong as reactionary and polarized as the fundamentalist right. Find a middle ground

Saio

I find this confusing. I am a republican and a Christian. But I find this article to be wrong on many points. 1. Christians are not trying to get into schools but back in as they were removed and replaced. freedom for all should mean just that. If a Kid wants to carry a Bible in to school that should not be a problem. nor should praying. If he wants to bring in a Coran same thing. ext.
2. If some one Rapes someone else they should be punished. Severely.
3. I do not agree with Same sex marriage and believe its a sin. That’s my right as a Human and American. That said. I have LGBT friends, I used that term because I really am friends with all of them. 🙂 We get along fine. I don’t push my Belief on them. They know where I stand.
4. Abortion. I believe Abortion is wrong and Murder. Once again that’s my right. If you want to know why I believe that just Ask.
End Note. Yes there are Fanatics in the Christian community but there are those kind of ppl everywhere. You cant say one is bad so all are bad. Same with ppl that own Guns. 😉

Jason

Where do you get the idea that a child can’t bring a Bible to or pray in school? A kid can bring a Bible and read it during study hall or between classes. A kid can pray between classes, during study hall or even during class as long as not disturbing others. What is not allowed is government mandated prayer in schools (i.e., forcing children to pray or listen to a teacher pray).

Albert8184

He doesn’t get that idea. But a lot of misinformed educators do get that idea.

Saio

Personal experience. But I may be wrong and maybe that was an isolated incident. Or things may have changed. I don’t think so, I know to many ppl that have gotten into trouble for that. On the second part. You are right! 150% No one should be forced. But. That goes both ways. There is a video I can find the link if you want. Where a teacher made her students sing praise to our president. I don’t care who you voted for. And yes we should respect him, but to make students praise him is wrong. Would you not agree?

Jason

I think we’re talking about two different things. I’m saying that a student can have a private, silent prayer to their God of choice at any time during the school day. A student praying aloud should not be allowed as it would be disruptive to the class. Proponents of school prayer, however, are suggesting that a prayer be led by a teacher or school official, which would mean everyone having to listen to it. Many students and teachers
aren’t Christian or religious at all. To do this would be an assault on their religious freedom, no? If parents want
their children to have religion mixed in with their child’s other courses, they should send them to Christian schools.

Saio

Yes, but really no one should interrupt the teacher during class. For a prayer or not. But If a student wants to pray for there food or anything else while not in class, they should be aloud to. They don’t need to yell or be loud. They can pray in a normal voice. Same with lets say if a student is graduating. They should be aloud to say a prayer when giving there speech thank God ext. Freedom of speech and religion. And no. For someone hear someone else pray is not an assault on that person. That word is thrown around to liberally these days. Just like, if you were to pray to Allah or some other deity around me. I would not take offence. I would be annoyed if you yelled and disturbed the peace. Or if you walked up to me and told me you were Gay, and how I should accept that. That’s not an assault. Even though my Faith is that Homosexuality is a sin. As I already said I don’t care what you are or believe in. it doesn’t affect me. Which Brings up another question. what is with all the Gay pride stuff. I don’t get that Either. If you are Gay Fine, Straight Fine, Something Else Fine. why do people feel the need to Have national coverage one what they are. I don’t get it. Just be you and don’t care what others think. But I digress and that’s a discussion for another time. Hope you don’t mind that I used you as an example. It was just convenient. Back on track now. Making someone who is not of a belief pray is wrong. And that brings me back to my First question. What do you think of the teacher making her students sing a praise to The President? Yes I know it was resolved, but I want to know your opinion. Do you consider it wrong that a teacher did that?
Also if a Christian has to go to a Different school to get Christian programs so should all other beliefs. Correct?

Jason

I never said that a child praying out loud at recess or quietly at their locker is an assault on someone. What I did say, however, is that if a teacher were to lead a class in Christian prayer, it would be infringing (removing the word attack) on non-Christians’ freedom of religion. You’re a Christian. Would you like it if your child had to sit in a classroom while a teacher led the class in prayer to a non-Christian god? And, yes, if people of ANY religion want their children to have religion as part of their curriculum, they should send them to a religiously affiliated school. Most Christians families I know pray together at home, read devotions and attend church services. Why that isn’t enough to nourish their relationship with god without having to bring it into a government-funded public school is beyond me.

Saio

🙂 I cant find anything I disagree with in what you said.
I agree in a non-Whatever school the Teachers should not lead prayers.
Its Been Nice Discussing this with you. Wish all my ventures in to the Comment realm went this way.

Jason

Comment sections can get ugly and frustrating, so I usually stay away. Nice having a civil discourse with you as well.

gdod25

First off these guys are NOT Christians. Its Machiavellian politics. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He said to love your enemies and bless those who persecute you. So if you reject Christian Judeo principles where are your new ethics going to come from? Men? HA. They will be ever changing and society will degrade. The United States is now a pagan nation. Good luck with that.

Alan Duval

A pagan nation that is still 70+% Christian.

Of course just because someone claims to be Christian, doesn’t mean they are… 45% of American Catholics are unaware of the miracle of transubstantiation, which is a key tenet of their faith… so they’re both Catholics as far as Catholicism is concerned.

American Protestants, many of whom claim that Catholicism isn’t Christianity, are the ones routinely ignoring the Bible they claim to adhere to. They are unempathic, hypocritical, sociopaths… and those believers that aren’t unempathic, hypocritical, sociopaths don;t call them out on it, because they say the magic words.

The Evil of Bolshevik Liberalism, Just look at our failing Public School educational System, the drop out rates, the Gangs, the drugs, the inner city neighborhoods, that are more dangerous than Baghdad, need anymore be said !

mrtapeguy

Allen Clifton is usually fair-minded for someone who writes exclusively for very liberal websites and to his credit, he has called out liberal hypocrisy on Islam as well as opened by saying the Republicans are not committing the kind of heinous acts that radical Muslims do. That’s encouraging.

I think this can be made only because the threats are entirely different – so much so as to be apples and oranges that they will claim are both fruit. The danger from ISIS is one of severe violence, terrorism such as 9/11 and attacks on our military overseas. Because of our porous borders and lack of any sort of serious identity system, I don’t know what, if anything, keeps them from sneaking in all the time. The left tends to downplay that scenario.

The threat from the religious right manifests itself in state governments quite often – the placing of religious texts or creation in textbooks, a lack of equal rights for gays and of course, abortion rights…although many on the left scream like a banshee when there are ANY restrictions on abortion.

I am as opposed to a Christian theocracy in this country as anyone but it is clear to me that it is far more likely that we have another 9/11 or multiple smaller versions of it, than that we will have any sort of religiously dominant takeover at the federal level and even where the right-wing religious zealots make inroads in certain states, I think it’s a game of diminishing returns that will have vehement opposition.

So in the end, I disagree with the premise. They may pose a greater threat in theory but hardly in reality.

kirfy

The Republicans control the house and the senate. The Supreme Court is more right wing leaning. These Republicans listen to their corporate owners (the Koch brothers, the Waltons, oil/coal/gas companies). Government has already been bought and sold. The threat that global warming poses may seem less significant than Isis killing people, since it lacks immediacy in its horror. However, global warming caused by corporations who fight regulation by buying our representatives will kill far more people from heat-waves, droughts, extreme weather events than Isis will. And what would non-porous borders look like? Do we have militarized zones all over this country? Do we ban flights in and out of the country? We cannot be isolationist. Plus, they are recruiting in our own country online. Frankly, I feel more threatened by the mentally ill and lack of gun regulation in this country and the constant shootings happening every day, than I believe I will be the victim of a terrorist attack. My spouse works in NYC and was there on 9/11. He saw the planes hit the towers from his work. Do you know how impossible it is to provide 100% security in a city the size of New York? As it is, they do a pretty good job. They have foiled quite a few plots. We have not had a major attack from middle eastern terrorists since 2001. Not to minimize the Boston bombing, but statistically 3 were killed. 30,000 people die each year from gunshot wounds. It is the NRA lobby that stops doctors even from making gun violence a health issue. I think you are ignorant of how far religious extremists and the corporate takeover have gotten in our government. And any extremism should be of deep concern since Islamic extremism is a horrific example of what can happen when religious extremism gets worse. I would think that everyone in America would not tolerate religious extremism of any kind, rather than rate its severity. Remember most fascist takeovers started small. Hitlers rise to power slowly preyed upon German nationalism/patriotism/aryan idealism/christian superiority in an insidious way. Republicans today employ this kind of “we’re a Christian nation, anti-gay, anti-minority, anti-immigrant nation” rhetoric that Hitler would have used. And you know how that went. Millions killed. Look up “fascism” on wikipedia and see how much that applies to the Republican party. “When fascism comes to America it will be draped in the flag and carrying the cross.” This was said in response to Hitlers rise to power. We should be worried more about what is in all of our backyards.

tuxguys .

I’m going to share this on my wall, simply for the sheer lunacy of it…
(I am, of course, referring to the sheer lunacy of the premise of the article, which is dreck.)

ORAXX

Meanwhile, the internet is there, spreading information the clergy would rather see denied to people. Chipping away at the edifice that is organized religion. Religious figures spend all their time talking to one another, and greatly over estimate their actual influence. Religion will not survive the information age.